The background description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventor(s), to the extent the work is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure.
Securing communications against tampering and unauthorized use is increasingly difficult as new forms of electronic communication proliferate. For example, sensitive information that might be subject to fraudulent use is often communicated over insecure channels. To provide a measure of security for the sensitive information, devices use cryptographic algorithms to secure the sensitive information before it is conveyed over the insecure channels. However, as the performance of available computer technology continues to increase (e.g., due to development of faster microprocessors), cryptographic algorithms become increasingly vulnerable to compromise or attack. More sophisticated cryptographic algorithms are continually developed to meet the threat posed by new types of attacks. However, as cryptographic algorithms become increasingly powerful, they often use more computing resources.
One example of a way to improve a cryptographic algorithm's security is to use longer keys. Traditionally, a cryptographic algorithm may have used a key that was, for example, 128 bits. However, newer more secure cryptographic algorithms can use keys that are, for example, one-thousand or more bits. Thus, storing several cryptographic keys can consume a large amount of storage, which can be especially costly in mobile devices with limited storage. Consequently, securing sensitive data can increase costs for mobile and other devices.